Explanation:
Like an illustration in a galactic
Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula
winds through the emission nebula and young star cluster
complex IC 1396, in the high and far off
constellation
of
Cepheus.
Of course, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long.
This composite
was recorded through
narrow band filters
that transmit the light from ionized hydrogen, sulfur,
and oxygen
atoms in the region.
The resulting image highlights the bright swept-back ridges
that outline pockets of cool
interstellar
dust and gas.
Such embedded, dark,
tendril-shaped clouds contain the
raw material for
star formation and hide
protostars within the obscuring cosmic dust.
Nearly 3,000
light-years
distant, the relatively faint
IC
1396 complex covers a
large region
on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees.
This dramatic close-up covers a 2 degree wide field,
about the size of 4 Full Moons.
